During a recent trip to visit John’s parents in Connecticut, my in-laws put together an impressive steak house-inspired dinner. Amongst the delicious offerings were twice baked potatoes… one of my favorite cool-weather comfort foods. A few uncooked potatoes made their way home with us, and I set to work creating my own recipe.

I decided to showcase my twice baked potatoes as the main event at tonight’s dinner, rather than as a side dish. Therefore, I loaded the potato skins with broccoli and bacon to give them more sustenance. The generously seasoned crispy skins were every bit as delicious as the flavorful creamy filling, and the gooey melted cheese topped with tangy greek yogurt was the ideal finishing touch.

Served with a light salad, these loaded twice baked potatoes proved to be a fantastic evening meal!

Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 medium/large russet potatoes
• extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 slices center cut bacon
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 Tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 – 7 oz container plain 2% greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese, such as cheddar or monterey jack

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Scrub and dry potatoes. Pierce each potato in a few places with the tines of a fork. Drizzle about 1 tsp of olive oil over both potatoes, and rub over the entire surface. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place directly onto the oven rack, and bake for 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, microwave the bacon slices between layers of paper towel for 2 1/2 minutes. Crumble and set aside.
4. Steam the broccoli florets until crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes. Chop and set aside.
5. When the potatoes are cooked through, allow them to cool on a cutting board for a few minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Cut just the very top off of each potato and reserve the “tops”. Scoop out most of the potato flesh from the skin, leaving enough so that the potato “boat” retains its shape, and mash the flesh in a large bowl.
6. Season the inside of the hollowed-out potato skin with salt and pepper to taste.
7. To the mashed potatoes, add the butter or margarine, 3/4 of the yogurt, the chopped broccoli florets, and the crumbled bacon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the potato skins on the lined baking sheet.
9. Scoop the potato mixture back into the potato skins and top with the shredded cheese. Add the reserved potato tops to the sheet, and bake for 10 minutes, or until the potato mixture is warmed through and the cheese is melted. Top with the remaining yogurt.